Facebook Graph Search is a while away from actual implementation – it’s still in beta testing and silently waiting out the applause and criticism it’s attracting across the Internet. However, one thing stands out immediately positive – Graph Search is gonna be a boon for your Small and Medium Sized Enterprise (SME).

As we discussed in our earlier posts, Graph Search is Facebook’s answer to Google’s iconic search dominance. How does that help your small business? Graph Search allows people to find Restaurants, Retail Shops, Corner Stores, Libraries, Dental Clinics etc, that their Facebook friends have liked by literally hitting that famous ‘Like’ button. For example, a search for ‘Nearby Coffee Shops that my friends like’ will display a comprehensive list of local Coffee Shops’ pages. If you own this Coffee Shop, the people following and liking your business’ Facebook page are your greatest promotional assets.

Facebook Graph Search – Like

Of course, quality is always the deciding factor. As in Google Search results, on Graph Search, those results that have been frequently liked, shared and commented upon will get higher prominence than pages that lack such inputs. Imagine, in the foreseeable future, a potential customer will choose your business over other more established ones based solely on two important pointers – a) Recommendation from their Facebook friends, b) Inherent Quality of your product that prompts such recommendation. If your business doesn’t have a Facebook page yet, you should consider creating one today!

Currently, Facebook Graph Search is not slated as a feature to be made available on the Smartphone and Tablet base. However, this criterion might change soon based on the responses received when Graph Search eventually rolls out. According to established studies, consumers perform upto 500 million searches worldwide each day for information about a local business. Most of these searches are conducted through Smartphones- and thus, a powerfully integrated Smartphone feature like Facebook, a new technology like Graph Search, the emerging tendency of consumers to procure products or services on the back of peer suggestions and the influence exerted by Smartphone culture will eventually result in an even playing field for your business. Timing and positioning are the crucial details you must attend to.

In our final post exploring the coming impact of Facebook Graph Search, we will explore the ways in which you can ready your business for this game changing social search methodology. Stay tuned….